Jami Oetting says, “You’re a pro at creating content. And because of this, a coveted client has just signed on with your agency. You’ve got to get to work, but you’re at a loss. The client is in a niche industry — one that you have little experience with. And the brand has done little in terms of content creation, so the team is unsure what types of content they need and how best to engage the audience. In this situation, it’s best to go back to the basics. You need to follow a proven formula to uncover the goals for creating and publishing content. Then,... [...]

Jami Oetting says, “Projects don’t always go as planned. You can perfectly outline the tasks, major milestones, and timeline for each project, but in the end, things happen: clients don’t send the information you need, a key employee walks out the door, a technical issue pops up that requires you to rethink the approach. This can spiral out of control when everyone is simply referring to a color-coded spreadsheet and replying to a confusing email thread. That’s why so many agencies invest in project management software. They need an easy-to-use interface to track timelines,... [...]

Lindsay Kolowich says, “Although marketers all wish the whole “if you build it, they will come” approach worked, we know that building a following requires more effort than simply hitting “Publish.” Organically attracting a loyal audience of fans and brand advocates is more of a slow, steady process, but it’s one that pays off over time. So what steps need to be taken to actually grow that loyal audience? To answer this question, we turn to Neil Patel, the entrepreneur who co-founded KISSmetrics, Crazy Egg, and Hello Bar. In the infographic below, Neil shows... [...]

Olivia Allen says, “Beware… bad web design can happen to good web pages. Compelling design is an imperative aspect to your website. Your visitors will spend an average of .05 seconds before they form an opinion of your site once your page loads. Make sure your design aids the user experience to ensure they stay on your site. Learn from these tiresome design flubs so your website doesn’t fall for them. 1) Sliders I know what you’re thinking, “how did this make it on the list?” The truth is, sliders aren’t working for you; they’re actually working against you. As a marketing... [...]

Jill Rowley says, “Just like anything shiny and new, social selling suffers from a fair amount of hype. And with hype comes misunderstanding. Sales reps and leaders eager to embrace the next generation of selling tactics often jump in with both feet. While this enthusiasm is great, sometimes they dive in before they understand what social selling really is, or what they’re trying to achieve. This is a recipe for disaster. So instead of another piece listing the benefits of social selling and the results that can be reaped through social selling tactics, I thought I’d combat some of the... [...]

Adam Wiggins says, “Effective sales professionals display a quality more valuable than an infinite book of leads. Trustworthiness. Trustworthiness comes from the heart and navigates your journey to customer service excellence. How do you know whether your customers trust you? Your sales results likely tell the story. But even if your clients consider you an integral part of their inner circle, there’s always room for improvement. If you’d like to welcome increased sales results — and enhanced customer success — we have four tips to help you”. 4 Steps to Building... [...]

Hannah Tighe says, “It seems every day there is more evidence to show that LinkedIn is an incredible tool for creating strategic relationships, boosting your reputation, and generating more leads. But just because the tool is valuable doesn’t mean that everyone is using it properly. If you aren’t getting the results out of LinkedIn that you were hoping, consider asking yourself if you are making any of the following mistakes. These common trip-ups could be limiting your success before you even start. Keep on reading to discover the top LinkedIn blunders people make —... [...]

Andrew Dymski says, “The marketing services arena is a crowded space these days. Every firm is competing for a prospect’s attention and time, so it is getting harder and harder for agencies to separate themselves. This is exacerbated by the fact that nearly every marketing agency website and blog you visit describes itself in the same way and publishes content on the same topics. With all this noise and chatter out there, how do agencies clearly differentiate themselves from their competition? One approach is to change up your marketing by combining marketing automation and... [...]

Alisa Meredith says, “There are plenty of ways to use your Twitter cover image to promote your business. You can implement different tactics at different times, depending on what’s going on in your business at the moment. It’s easy to mix your cover image up and keep things fresh, while always being consistent with your branding. To inspire your next Twitter cover photo change, check out some great examples below. 1) Build Instant Trust Rebekah has an impressive social media pedigree. Using an “As Seen On” box and a half-circle badge, she doesn’t shy away from sharing some... [...]

Will Blunt says, “Conducting research is an essential part of writing quality blog content. To be a credible industry expert, you need facts, stats, figures, and examples at your disposal — all external validation that shows you know your stuff. But doing research can be very time consuming if you’re not sure what you should be looking for and how to look for it. In this post I will take you through a four-step process for researching your blog posts. This process will help you validate your blog ideas, fill your posts with interesting and relevant content, and increase the... [...]